Hollywood actor Kevin Costner, Princess Charlene of Monaco, actresses Melissa George and Olivia Munn and rapper Ne-Yo were were among those who turned out.

Versace, whose collection was shown the night before the rest of the couture shows begin, said she took inspiration from the "architectural splendor of glass domes where the fragility of glass contrasts with the strength of iron and steel beams".

Creations most clearly illustrating the theme included a black column evening dress in a geometric pattern with embroidered bustier and a fluorescent yellow chiffon mini dress encrusted with crystals.

Fittingly the show was held beneath a domed roof some 17 meters (55 feet) high created by the company of Eiffel Tower architect Gustave Eiffel.

Credited with revolutionizing menswear during his stint at Dior from 2000 to 2007, in the past Slimane made headlines for teaming jackets cut short with narrow trousers in an androgynous, pencil-thin look copied by mass-market designers worldwide.

Rock and grunge appeared to have influenced his first Saint Laurent menswear collection, prompting a surge of favorable comment on Twitter.

French President Francois Hollande's partner Valerie Trierweiler was among those in the front row.

Colors included wintry shades of purple and turquoise complemented by vivid citrus tones.

Prints ranged from magnified houndstooth on shirting to hazy marbling on coats and jackets.

For footwear, there was another reworking of the Chelsea boot with a zip back and a trainer sole.

In search of a "well-defined and honest" fashion, Melinda Gloss's Remi de Laquintane and Mathieu de Menonville focused on "informal tailoring".

An abstract kaleidoscopic print inspired by a painting by Willem de Kooning featured in a number of pieces, and oversized hooded coats and trench coats blended arty and military influences in clothes suited to "creative" Parisian minds.

Five days of menswear are due to be immediately followed by four days of couture shows starting on Monday.

Haute couture exists only in Paris, where it is a legally protected appellation subject to strict criteria such as the amount of work carried out by hand, the limited number of pieces and the size of a house's workforce.